THIS INVENTION is concerned with improvements in underwear and hosiery and, in particular, to improvements in women""s pantihose.
The invention is also concerned with improvements in retaining bands for the aforesaid garments.
Traditionally, women""s pantihose have been styled so that the elasticized waistband is located in the mid-riff region, some 50 mm to 75 mm above the iliac crests of the pelvis, commonly known as the hip bones.
With current fashion trends dictating shorter waisted upper and lower garments to expose portion of the torso and the navel in particular, traditional high waisted pantihose need to be rolled downwardly from the waistband to avoid exposure.
A difficulty associated with this practice is that the rolled down portion is both uncomfortable due to increased tension and unsightly due to the increased bulk in this region.
A further difficulty arises from the tendency of the rolled waistband portion either to roll upwardly and become exposed on women with a narrow waist or to continue to roll downwardly on women having a larger waist.
Even for women who do not wish to bare their midriff in current fashions, high waisted pantihose can still be uncomfortable with a fairly tight waistband located so far above the hip region.
Whether small or large waisted, most women encounter a tendency for the waistband of their pantihose to roll downwardly as a result of normal bending movements.
Similarly in women""s knee high or thigh high hose, as well as men""s calf length hose, there is a tendency for parallel sided elasticised retaining bands to roll over on their upper edges during physical movements by the wearer.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,914,799 describes a knitted pantihose garment wherein the panty portion is made from a semi-elastic fabric including nylon and Lycra (Trade Mark of Du Pont) to form a control brief. Extending between the waistband and the crotch region in the rear panty portion is an elastic shaping band located between the gluteus maximi to contour a wearer""s buttocks.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,412,433 describes a pantihose garment having an integrally knit crotch region which is formed by knitting a substantially rectangular region of course portions in each of the stocking blanks with the same body yarn being knit in the crotch area as is knit in the adjacent areas of the pantihose. A reinforcing yarn is knit in selected ones of these course portions to increase the bulk of the crotch region and a pattern of such stitches is formed to provide openings in the crotch region for ventilation. An hydrophilic yarn such as cotton is knit in plated relationship on the inside and in selected course portions of the body yarn to provide moisture absorbence in the crotch region.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,651,670 describes a knitted pantihose garment wherein, in place of a welt, there is a compressive stretch fabric integrally knit with the hose to form a compressive girdle portion. The girdle portion of each hose has front and rear panels which are knit so as to provide more fabric in the rear panel than in the front panel with the front panel averaging less stitch loops per course than the rear panel for the same number of wales in the course.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,999,406 and 4,040,128 describe a one piece construction for pantihose wherein a tube of knit fabric has a waist opening formed in one side of the central region and in U.S. Ser. No. 4,040,128 a crotch slit is formed in the tube opposite the waist opening.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,021,861 describes a seamless crotch pantihose garment comprising a tubular blank slit walewise to form a body receiving opening opposite to the seamless crotch. A decorative lace-like material of substantially greater strength than the tubular blank is sewn onto the body portion of the blank about the slit to define a panty portion wherein the material provides the additional depth required to provide a satisfactory reach or rise from the crotch to the waistband.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,324 describes a turned welt-type knitted waistband for pantihose wherein selected periodic courses in an annular region of the inward welt ply have an uncovered elastomer filament in alternate knit and float stitches for partial exposure of the float stitches for intermittent frictional contact with a wearer""s body to assist in retaining the waistband in place when worn.
French Patent Application FR 2290855 describes pantihose in which the upper edge of the panty portion is cut obliquely to remove a portion and to form a waistline which descends from the back to the front. It is considered that this configuration could cause the rear elasticized waist band portion to creep downwardly with repeated standing and sitting.
Japanese Patent Application JP 97-242202 describes a maternity panty with a cloth panel insert in the front region.
German Patents 2909613 and 2650167 are concerned with pantihose garments having conventional elasticized waistbands.
European Patent Application EP 0711513 describes pantihose wherein the panty portion is configured as a control brief with the rear panty portion having greater stretch than the front portion.
International Patent Application PCT/IT97/00263 describes a pantihose construction designed to rest on the hips of a wearer. This garment does not have an elasticized waistband but relies upon either a tensioned front panel or crossed over upper hose portions to form a V shaped panty upper waist portion which assists in locating the garment on a wearer""s hips.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,762,533, 5,579,894, 3,797,501, 2,424,651 and 2,367,328 all deal with undergarments having some control function with regions of differing elasticity.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,059,973, 3,802,229, 3,599,241, 3,566,624, 3,487,473, 504,402 and 3,824,812 describe differing pantihose or tights constructions to aid in fit or comfort and U.S. Pat. No. 2,687,526 describes a maternity undergarment.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,523,337 describes garments having V-shaped front and back waistbands being formed of a fabric which is adapted to stretch and exert recovery forces along lines which generally extend from the opposite outer sides of the wearer""s hips toward the longitudinal centreline of the torso of a wearer of the garment.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,400,832 describes pantihose garments having a support structure comprising twin, diagonally inclined halves forming stress vectors directed between the hips and pelvic region of a wearer. Extreme ends of the support structure halves converge at the front and rear of the crotch panel forming an anchor point at the pelvic region for v-shaped front and rear waistband portions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,023,957 describes a pantihose garment to be worn under a revealing garment such as a G-string. The waistband follows a general v-shape at the front and back of the garment to be hidden by the waistband of the G-string when worn over the pantihose garment. It is considered that this pantihose garment relies upon the G-string for support on the wearers hips.
The extensive prior art in the field of undergarments such as control briefs and girdles and pantihose is a reflection of ongoing attempts to improve fit, comfort and functionality of these garments.
As reflected in many of the abovementioned prior art documents, waistbands for pantihose typically comprise a continuous loop of elasticised material sewn to the upper welt of a pantihose body.
The continuous loop is formed by sewing, adjacent free overlaid ends of a band of elasticised material, perpendicularly to the parallel edges of the band.
The free edges adjacent the transverse seam are then overlooked to prevent fraying and in some cases the seam, opposite the overlooked portion are reinforced by stitching across the seam.
While generally effective for its intended purpose, this form of finishing a waistband for pantihose does suffer some disadvantages.
The overlooked free ends of the elasticised band are generally located on the inner side of the band at the back or one hip side such that with close fitting outer garments, an unsightly bulge can occur.
Moreover, with a tight fitting waistband and tight fitting outer garments, the compression of the overlocked seam against a wearer""s skin for any length of time can give rise to discomfort.
Accordingly, it is an aim of the present invention to provide a low waisted pantihose or undergarment which overcomes or alleviates at least some of the problems of prior art pantihose or undergarments.
It also is an aim of the present invention to overcome or ameliorate at least some of the disadvantages of prior art elasticised hose or garment retaining bands and to provide a retaining band having a generally concave front portion.
According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a pant garment having a waistband adapted in use to be supported by the hips of a wearer, said garment characterised in that a front portion of said waistband is generally formed in a downwardly concave v-shape and wherein a generally central portion of the garment, extending between the front waistband portion and a crotch region, has, in a longitudinal axial direction, a greater modulus of elasticity than adjacent regions.
Preferably, the waistband has a rear portion that is oriented substantially horizontally in use so that said front portion is located lower on the wearer than the rear portion.
Suitably, the distance between said front portion of the waistband and a central crotch region is less than the distance between said rear portion of the waistband and a central crotch region.
If required, the waistband may be formed integrally with said pantihose.
The waistband may be attached to an upper portion of said garment by stitching or other suitable attachment means.
The front portion of the waistband may be generally V-shaped with front elements tapering downwardly from opposite hip regions to a generally central front region.
If required, the front portion of the waistband may comprise a generally downwardly arcuate concave curve extending from adjacent opposite hip regions.
Alternatively, the front portion of the waistband may comprise downwardly arcuate convexly curved front elements extending from opposite hip regions.
Suitably, one or more elasticized panels may extend between the front waistband portion and the crotch region of the garment.
Preferably, said one or more panels are integrally formed with the garment.
Most preferably, the garment is formed from a knitted fabric comprising nylon and elastane yams.
The garment may comprise men""s and/or women""s briefs.
Alternatively the garment may comprise a pair of pantihose.
According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided an elasticised waist band for undergarments, said waistband comprising:
a continuous band of elasticised material having a transverse seam sewn through overlaid portions of said band at a position spaced from free ends of said band and wherein each free end of said band are folded back upon a respective adjacent inner portion of waistband.
If required the free ends of said band may be secured to a respective adjacent band portion by stitching.
Suitably the free ends of said band are secured to a respective adjacent band portion by stitching which attaches a welt of a body portion of a pantihose garment thereto.
The transverse seam may be sewn perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of said waistband.
Alternatively the transverse seam may be sewn at an angle of from 25xc2x0 to 65xc2x0 relative to said longitudinal axis.
Suitably the transverse seam is reinforced adjacent opposed edges of said waistband.
According to yet another aspect of the invention there is provided a hose or garment retaining system comprising:
an elasticised retaining band having a generally parallel sided rear portion extending in use around a rear portion of a wearer""s anatomy and a front portion extending in use at least partially across a front portion of a wearer""s anatomy, said retaining band characterised in that said rear portion has a modulus of elasticity extending generally longitudinally, parallel to upper and lower boundaries thereof and said front portion comprises a generally downwardly extending arcuate concave curve in an upper boundary thereof, said front portion further characterised in that the front portion has a greater modulus of elasticity in a transverse direction than longitudinally of the front portion.
Preferably the front portion of the hose or garment adjacent the front portion of the retaining band has a modulus of elasticity greater in the longitudinal axial direction of a wearers anatomy than in a direction transverse thereto.
If required the front portion of the hose or garment may comprise one or more elasticised panels.
Suitably said one or more elasticised panels are formed integrally with said front retaining band portion.
If required, said front retaining band portion may comprise a ribbed construction with ribs extending in a normally upright direction.